Method and means for producing castellated nuts and the like



D. FOX 1,829,215

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING CASTELLATED NUTS AND THE LIKE Oct. 27, 1931.

Filed March 10, 1927 INVENTOR ATTOR Y which to perform the steps of the improved y Fatentecl Oct. 27, 193i untrue STATES DAVID FOX, OF BRONX, NEW YORK IEETHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING CASTELLATED NUTS AND THE LIKE Applicationfiled March 10, 1927. Serial No. 174,123.

This invention relates to method and means for producing castellated nuts and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method in accordance with which castellated nuts and dislike may be quickly and accurately produced.

A further object is to provide a simple, substantial and practical mechanism by method referred to.

A more detailed object is to provide a mechanism by which the several slots of the nut may be produced substantially simultaneously.

-A further detailed object is to construct the mechanism so that it is adapted to be moved longitudinally of a piece of rod stock and so that it will operate to cut the several slots in the end of the stock as it advances.

A further detailed object is to so construct the mechanism that it may be mounted as one of the tools upon the turret of an ordinary turret lathe, the other tools upon said turret being a drill by which to form the central hole and a tap by which to thread said central hole.

A further detailed object is to provide a turret lathe comprising a drill, a castellating mechanism, a tap, and a cut-off device, all arranged for successive operations upon the end of a piece of rod stock during relative rotation of said stock, thereby to produce a complete castellated nut from the end portion of said stock.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangementsof parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are l to be taken as a part of this specification, and

in which I have shown merely a preferred of embodiment; of the invention Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view through a castellating mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention and showing by dotted lines parts of the adjacent lathe structure, including the bar stock from which castellated nuts are to be formed and cut.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe structure seen in Fig. 1, the adjacent lathe parts and the stock being here also shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken upon the plane of line III-J11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4C is an end view of the structure seen in Fig. 1 as viewed from the left hand side of said Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan and side views respectively of one of the cutter tools employed.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing in section the end portion of the stock as it appears after being drilled and while the castellating slots are being cut across the end thereof, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one'of the finished castellated nuts which the mechanism disclosed herein is adapted to produce.

Referring to the drawings for describing in detail the structure therein illustrated the reference character L indicates the main base plate of a lathe turret. At properly space intervals circumferentially of this plate are mounted the several tools which are to operate upon the end of the bar stock. An appropriate drill as G is arranged at one point. A castellating mechanism H is arranged spaced circumferentially from the drill G, and a tap A is arranged spaced circumferentially from the castellating mechanism.

A suitable chuck device N is provided for supporting the bar stock D in an appropriate and well known manner so that the end of the bar stock projects a suitable distance beyond the chuck and is thereby adapted to be operated upon by the several tools of the turret.

It will be understood that the chuck device, and the turret, are all carried upon an appropriate form of lathe bed, not illustrated, and that the base plate L is adapted to be stepped around to bring the tools thereof into proper co-operative relation with the stock by means well known and hence not here illustrated.

It will also be understood that the lathe i V 40 r as 13, and each ofthe'secutters one of'which includes any appropriate means by which to continuously, or otherwise, rotate the bar v stoCkD, and also that the turret is adapted to be moved longitudinally along the lathe bedtoward and aw ay'from the end of the bar stock in the usual manner common to turret lathesm The drill G is preferably stationary upon a suitable standard as 1 carried by the base 7 7 consists of astandard 8 which is formed or fixed rigidly with the baseplate Lv spaced froinzthe drillstandard 1. This: standard I provides a vertical wall part 4 to the face of which is fixed a separately formed cam plate 5- which is'preferably detaehably fixed to said wall l by means of a series of bolts or screws 6-6 The wallland the" cam plate are both of circular contour and are formed to provide an annular peripheral groove, as.

' 7, between them.

Rotatably engaging within the greove' 7 is aringB and lined to said ring is a cover plate 'QQthe latter beingpref e'rably detachably connected to said -ri-ng by means of a seriesot bolts or screws'as 101(). i The cover plate 9 is formedwith' a series of radial slots as l1l1 in thesurface thereor facing toward the cam plate 5, and said camplate is formed with an eccentric'groove 12K traversing all of the: slots 11. 5

Fittinginto each slot 11; and slidable'there along radially of the cover plate, is a cutter is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6', has a lug or eztendingportion M pro ecting into the eccentric groove 12,"fro1n ivhich it will be ap-j parent that the rotation of the cover. plate and oithe cutters carried thereby will cause the eutters'to-be slid back and forth along 7 their respective slots '11:

y The cuttersmay be of any length but order to obtain ample bearing for their outer ends they'preferably' extend through openingsas' 15 provided to receive them through plate 5 and arethusiheld and guided within their respective slots 11.

' Connected with the eover plate 9 is at stock 7 engaging colla-rl'Z, said Collar being prefer ably detachably connected-with the plate9 as by means of bolts or screwsl8+l8pfllnter V V n'ally oi-ithis collar is formed a-seri es ofab-utmerits 19 arranged toienga-ge the bar stec'lrD and cause the collar, andhence theeover plate Intermediate the abutments'lQ the inner surface oi the collar is cut away as at 2020 so as thereby to'enable the abutments to more accurately and properly engage the angular corner parts'of the bar stock which it will be here noted 15 of hexagonal cross section.

'-,The cover plate 9, the cams plate 5, and the wane, areall provided with central openings therethrough as 21, 22 and 23 respectively said openings being aligned with the central-opening of the collar 17 so that the bar stock, and the completed. nutsmayrnove therethrough. I s r In utilizing this tool, after the bar stock has been operated upon by the drill G and said drill withdrawn; the turret plate L is rotated to: bring the castellating mechanism in line with the-stock. The mechanism is then moved forward along the lathe bed so as-te telescope over the projecting-end of the stock, the againstthe cornersof the stock and causing the cutters toswing around with the stoclr and to slide radially inand out along their respective slots 11'. It will be'understood of coursethat the abutments; 1 9 are so arranged as to hold the stock such relation to the cutters that the eu ters will occupy their proper positions relative to the fiat'surfaces ofthe stocln there' being ofcourseone cutter for eael-i flat surface, or in the usual standard practice there'will be six cutters. r I

The inner end-portions of the cutters are each properly formed to provide cutting edges as 24 oil appropriate Width and shape and in just the right'position to traverse back forth'across the adjacent endedge por tion of the stock, after the manner of an ordina-ry planer tool; As the turret movesiorward the repeated'in and out movements of abutments l9 meanwhileengaging the cutters will cause each nutter-to, plane awaythe materialflof the stockto form one or". the slots, as25 in'the finished nut.

5 Eachcutter operates upon a single slot 25 until alilfofftlie slo'ts are completed whereupon thet'u'rret is" slid backwardl'y to disengage thecastell'ating mechanism off of the end of the' Stock; and the t'urr et is then rotated to. bring the tap A in position for .op-

- mung-upon the steel;

intO' aliQnnient with the stock the turret is moved forwardfagain to drive the tap into the holefl' previously made within the stock;

the continued rotation of the stock being effective to cause formation'ofthreads within saidh-ole bymea'ns'ofthe tap "When the 'holehas-been properly threaded the tap is-withdrawn, either by countenrota,

tion of the stock or by appropriate rotation ofthe tap;

65 9fandthecdtters, to rotate with the baesto'ck; l illie formation oi tlie-nutjupon the. end of the stock being now completed, except for severance of the nut from the remainder of the stock, and the turret having been moved backwardly to free the end portion of the stock, a suitable cut-E tool as 27 is moved to position against the side of the stock and as the stock continues to rotate said tool operates to sever the completed nut.

The tool 27 is preferably carried by the lathe bed and is operated back and forth against the stock in a manner well understood and requiring no further description here.

After the completed nut has been removed from the end of the stock the stock is fed through the chuck to bring another portion of its length into position to be operated upon by the tools as described, and the operation is repeated so that a completed castellated nut is turned out one for each cycle of operation of the tools referred to.

A purpose of having the several parts of the castellating mechanism detachably connected as already described is to facilitate their easy separation and the reassembly of parts varying in size and proportions. Larger and heavier cutters may be employed for the making of heavier castellated nuts, and a heavier cam plate, differently proportioned cover plate, and a difierent size of abutment-carrying collar may be attached. Or if a cutter, or in fact any part of the mechanism, becomes broken, damaged or worn, it

may be readily removed and a fresh part sub stituted.

The mechanism is strong and eificient and I yet simple, substantial and practical. The

cast-ellating of a nut is performed by simply advancing the castellating mechanism over the end of the bar stock in the same manner as any ordinary cutter, drill or other tool would be advanced by means of the lathe turret, and the operation is quickly and accurately performed in every instance.

While the castellating mechanism is here shown as being an element mounted upon a turret for performing its operation as one of cycle of operations performed by the various tools of the turret, itis to be understood however that the invention is not necessarily limited in this regard as obviously the castellating mechanism may be utilized independently of the presence of a turret, or of a drill, or of a tap, or of any other tools in the same lathe.

As many changes couldbe made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. 7

laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for castellating the end of a piece of rotating bar stock, said means comprising a plurality of cutters, a carrier for said cutters arranged to engage the bar stock to rotate therewith and to thereby rotate the cutters with the bar stock, and means whereby rotation of the cutters will cause the cutters to move with respect to the stock and to each thereby out a groove in the stock.

Means for castellating the end of a piece of rotating bar stock, said means comprising a plurality of cutters, a carrier for said cutters arranged to engage the bar stock to rotate therewith and to thereby rotate the cutters with the bar stock, and a non'rotating cam arranged to be engaged by the rctating cutters effective to move the cu ters with respect to the stock whereby each cutter will cut a single slot in the stock.

3. Means for castellating the end of a piece of stock, said means comprising a carrier having an opening therethrough within which the stock may be positioned, a plurality of cutters carried by said carrier arranged to move into and out of said opening to thereby operate upon the stock within said opening, means to hold the stock against relative rotary movement within said opening and to thereby insure operation of each cutter upon a given portion of the stock, a cam arranged to engage said cutters, and there being means whereby the cam will operate to cause the cutters to move into and out of said opening.

4.. Means for castellating the end of a piece of rotating bar stock, said means comprising a standard, a cam plate carried by said standard, said standard and said cam plate each having an opening through which the bar stock may extend, a cover plate rotatably mounted upon said standard having an opening aligned with the mentioned openings also to receive the stock therethrough, means by which said cover plate may be connected with the bar stock to rotate therewith, a plurality of cutters carried by said cover plate to rotate therewith each having a cutter portion arranged to extend into said opening for operating upon the bar stock, a cam slot provided in said cam plate eccentric to said mentioned openings, and each of said cutters having a lug engaging within said cam slot to thereby drive the cutters during rotation thereof with respect to the cam plate.

5. The herein described method of producing castellated nuts, which method consists in providing a piece of rotating stock, drilling a hole into said stock while said stock is rotating, castellating said stock around said hole while the stock continues to rotate, and then threading said hole.

6. A castcllating mechanism comprising a plurality of radially arranged cutters, a carrier for said cutters, means for holding a piece of stock in position at the centre of said cutters collectively and for rotating the carrierancl stock' and means to simultaneously operate all of said cutters: forthereby. operatin upon said; rotating stock. 7 r i 7. A caste'llating mechanism comprising a plmtality'of radially arranged cutters, acarrier for said: cutters, means for holding apiece cfstock'in position at the centre of said cutters collectively and for rot-ating thezcar rier and stock, and means by which to'cause the cutters: each. to cut a separate groove in the rotating stock. Y f Y V 8'; The herein described method of produce ing castellated nuts, which method consists in'providing a piece of rotating harstock moving said'stock endwise a distance corre- I spending substantially to the thickness de sired for the nut; drilling a hole lengthwise into said stock, of a depth of at least as great 7 as the distance of movement of the stock, cas= tellating the end of the stock around said hole 'whi-le the stock is rotating threading said hole, and severing fromthe stock the caste-l 'ylatediand thmaded portion of a thickness correspondinsto'the amount of endwise move- 'mentof the stock. V In testimony whereof I affix my signature 7 DAVID FOX.; 

